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It was 7 years ago today when the final episode of Game of Thrones<\/a> aired on HBO. For the last few seasons, the showrunners had to rely on George RR Martin<\/a>\u2019s planned plot points for his last two unwritten novels in A Song of Ice and Fire.<\/p>\n You\u2019d have thought that seven years on from the season finale, fans would have at least the penultimate book in their hands by now, but no. So what\u2019s the latest on The Winds of Winter<\/a>?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Back in January, Martin confirmed that he\u2019s written about 1,100 pages of The Winds of Winter so far. Considering 2011\u2019s A Dance with Dragons was around that length, suggesting the next novel will be the longest to date. We can probably assume he\u2019s at least over halfway.<\/p>\n As for why the book is taking so long, the author blamed his increased celebrity and all the other distractions like producing Game of Thrones spin-offs. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter<\/a> at the time, the 77-year-old admitted: \u201cI\u2019m rewriting. I\u2019m struggling… if I can just get some of these other things off my back, I could finish The Winds of Winter pretty soon. [It\u2019s been] made clear to me that Winds is the priority.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Martin has also confirmed that the end of A Song of Ice and Fire will differ from the Game of Thrones TV show. But also said that if he dies before A Dream of Spring is completed, the series will remain incomplete and not be finished by another author like Brandon Sanderson did for Robert Jordan. Then, in April, a false leak claimed a 2026 release date for The Winds of Winter was imminent, but this was soon shot down by Martin\u2019s US publisher, Bantam Books.<\/p>\n